Track-cleaner



2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I (No Model.) W. M. BROWN.

. TRACK CLEANER.

No. 581,264. Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

I d v I v M ATTOgZ W STATE WVILLIAM MILTON BROI/VN, OF J OHN STOVVNPENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHNSON COMPANY, OF LORAIN, OHIO.

TRACK-CLEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,264, dated April2'7, 1897. Application filed July 18, 1896 $eria1No. 599,648. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MILTON BROWN, of Johnstown, county ofOambria, State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer- 5 tain new and usefulImprovements in Track- Oleaners, of which the following is a true andexact description, due reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to certain improvements in track-cleaning devicesand has special reference to use on those tracks where the cars areoperated by electricity supplied from contact-boxes or conduits laid inthe street. In this class of railway the contactbox or conduit containsa switching mechanism designed to keep the circuit between thesupply-conductor and the contact portions of said contact box or conduitopen except when a suitable magnetic field carried by the car isimmediately over the box. In a system of this class there is danger ofpieces of iron or steel lying on the track in such a manner as toshort-circuit the contact-box to the return-rail at such times as themagnetic field is over the box, thereby allowing waste of power untilthe car has passed or until circuit-breakers ordinarily provided inrailway power-houses are opened. This would cause a temporary stoppageof all the cars on the same section of the system. Moreover, if thepiece of metal causing this damage should not be immediately found thetrouble would be met again upon the arrival of another car at the samespot.

It is the object of my invention to provide a set of magnets, to becarried by the car, the magnetic field of which shall have its lines offorce so disposed that the said magnets will attract any magneticmaterial such as has been hereinbefore referred to, while having noeffect upon the current-conveyer. By disposing the lines of force inthis manner I am enabled to carry the track-cleaning magnets so far inadvance of the circuit-closing magnet that there is no danger of thematerial picked up by the cleaner being the means of short-circuitingthe poles of the circuitclosing magnet or short-circuiting the contactdevices to either magnet. The high rate of speed ordinarily employed onelectric railthe lines of force are transverse to the direc- 6o tion ofthe cars travel. The underground arrangements are of course adapted tobe acted on by transverse lines of force.

To use my invention with other forms of magnetic closers, I would modifythe arrangement of the poles of the cleaning-field, but withoutdeparting from the scope of my in- Vention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view of the frontend of a car and track embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a front view ofa portion of the same car.

.1 is the body of the car, having the front platform 2 and supportedupon the truck 3.

This car, being operated by the conduit or surface-contact system, hasthe operatingmagnets 4 and collecting-shoe 5, both constituting thecollecting device, the conduit or contact-box 6 being shown-in outlinein Fig. 2. This magnet, shoe, and box being the things to protect, Iextend transversely in 7 front of them, and preferably supported by thetruck 3, the magnet-bars 7, which may be two or more, as desirable.These bars are energized by the coils 8, and their polarity should besuch that the lines of force will travel from one bar to another-that isto say,

in this case the polarity of the center bar should be the opposite tothat of the adjacent bars. These magnets being supported across thepathway of the operating-magnets will first engage and pick up any ironor steel that may lie upon the track and carry it along to the end ofthe line, where they may be cleaned off; or suitable pits may be placedon the 5 track, and as the car passes over them the current to themagnets may be cut off, and the bars will then cease to be magnetic andany iron that may be adhering will then drop off. It will be seen thatwere it not for this advance magnetic field there would be danger ofpieces of iron coming in contact with the magnets 4: andshort-circuiting the same or short-circuiting the magnets to the shoe 5.By the use of this advance magnet all this danger is avoided and theproper working of the collecting devices assured.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to protectbyLettcrs Patent, is-

1. In combination with an electric-railway car and current-collectingdevices beneath the car, a current-conveyer in electrical connectionwith the source of supply, magnets carried by the ear, theeurrent-conveyer being within the magnetic fields of said magnets, asecond set of magnets carried by the \VILLIAM MILTON BROWN.

Witnesses:

K. C. HOXIE, H. W. SMITH.

